A HEALTHIER HABITAT
Green your home with an energy audit

by Leah Hughes

In the words of Kermit the Frog, “It’s not easy being green.” Whether referring to the color itself or the environmental approach, being green can become quite complicated. Fortunately, a home energy audit might be able to help.

Home energy audits involve determining aspects of a home that consume unnecessary amounts of energy. These problems not only cause higher power bills, but they also can result in negative environmental effects.

Justin Rowell, owner of Greenmodeling LLC in Raleigh, recommends an energy audit for every homeowner.

“Typically, I find that our clients come from one of two sides,” Rowell says of the company, which specializes in environmental consultations, renovations and technology.

“They’re either interested in utility cost savings or the environmental stewardship side of things.”

Whether hiring a professional or making small changes on your own, the variety of options available to assist with energy efficiency can make going green a little more appealing.

Hire a professional
Energy audits can be conducted professionally or as do-it-yourself projects. An audit assesses how much energy a home uses and determines what you can do to reduce usage.

A home’s square footage generally determines the cost of a professional audit, which can range from $300 to $600 for an average-sized home. Hiring a professional to evaluate a home’s energy efficiency can offer several benefits, including the use of specialized equipment to accurately measure energy usage.

“A building is a complex structure,” Rowell says. “It’s difficult for someone who isn’t trained in building science to locate problems and what’s causing them.”

Blower doors measure the amount of air passing through openings between a home’s interior and exterior, providing specific information about where air is coming from and how much is coming through. This can be much more helpful than someone running a hand along the edge of a door, Rowell says. Infrared cameras detect flaws in the insulation where air might be escaping or infiltrating the home.

“It lets us see things homeowners couldn’t see with the naked eye unless they wanted to tear down the drywall,” he says.

LiveGreen Inc. of Wake Forest uses a three-step process called a GreenOver to increase a home’s energy efficiency. The process involves assessing the home, discussing results with the homeowner and making necessary changes. President Jeff Ammons and his team researched and developed a list of standards to qualify existing homes for LiveGreen Inc. certification, which guarantees a home’s energy efficiency.

“It’s unique that we’re a one-stop-shop,” he says.

Do it yourself
Although it’s not as thorough, conducting a do-it-yourself audit also can shine a light on your home’s energy efficiency.

Energy Star is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy that promotes environmentally conscious practices and products. The program’s Web site offers a starting point for evaluating a home’s energy usage. Simply enter a home’s square footage, fuel type and the past 12 months of utility bills into an electronic form. Energy Star’s Home Energy Yardstick then conducts a basic evaluation and offers recommendations for improvement.

The Home Energy Yardstick offers some preliminary information but doesn’t provide a lot of detail, notes Chandler Von Schrader, manager of Energy Star’s home performance program. He recommends that homeowners explore their options before taking the next step. Many energy companies offer audit services to customers at a low cost or possibly for free. Some programs, such as Nation Sustainable, offer energy audits at reduced rates for qualifying low-income families.

Taking the next step
Whichever audit option you choose, implementing the recommended changes is the most important component of the process.

“Just doing an audit doesn’t save anything; it requires action,” Von Schrader says.

Common problems appear in almost every audit he conducts. Air-sealing the home — particularly in the attic and basement — fixing loose or damaged duct work, and adding attic insulation are the top three repairs Von Schrader recommends.

According to Ammons, who says customers frequently complain about the temperature being too hot upstairs, improper sealing around pull-down stairs that lead to the attic often is the source of the problem. Simply sealing these leaks can reduce energy costs and make a home more comfortable.

“If you’re wasting air, then you’re wasting money,” he says.

While replacing outdated appliances with new, more-efficient models might be expensive, it will pay off, notes Margaret Williford, a developer with Olde South Realty in Garner. For example, she says front-load washing machines and tankless water heaters conserve more water and energy.

According to Dawn Hintgen, co-owner of Common Ground Green Building Center in Durham, even small changes can make a big difference for individual homeowners and the environment as a whole.

Replacing incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs, using low-flow faucets and showerheads, lowering water-heater temperature, unplugging electronics when they’re not in use, and turning off the lights when leaving a room are simple measures that anyone can take to help reduce energy use.

“Even changing out one incandescent lightbulb to something more energy efficient saves pounds and pounds of carbon a year,” she says.

“All those little things add up if you think of the number of houses out there.”

Leah Hughes is a senior in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

FUN WITH CLAY
Earth plaster improves indoor air quality, adds beauty

by Dawn Hintgen

The concept of “out with the new, in with the old” might seem counterintuitive. But when looking for sustainable design materials, sometimes not only are the old ways better, but they often turn out to be better for us as well.

While seeking an alternative to the products that were giving him headaches, artisan Croft Elsaesser was drawn to one of the oldest and most durable building materials on Earth: clay. His goal was to create a wall finish that not only was durable and beautiful, but that also was healthy for the people using it. His end result, American Clay earth plaster, is a wall finish that actually improves indoor air quality and reduces energy costs, all while creating beautiful walls.

Eco-friendly design
The idea of plaster typically conjures up visions of Southwestern or Mediterranean aesthetics, but the design options don’t stop there. Aside from the traditional earthtones and stucco looks, earth plaster’s color palette encompasses a wide range of choices, from deep reds to baby blues. A variety of finishing techniques — limited only by one’s imagination — opens it up to almost any design style, from sleek and modern to mountain rustic. Applied heavily with texture or stenciled design, walls decorated with earth plaster can become a focal point; its smooth application brings a rich, silky accent to other design elements.

Along with its exceptional beauty, earth plaster has other unique benefits as well. Unlike many other plaster surfaces, it does not contain chemical ingredients that set in a specific amount of time, allowing for more freedom during installation. It also can be safely rehydrated, making repairs and mistakes simple to fix even years after it’s been applied.

Finishing a room with earth plaster also helps reduce heating and cooling costs. Through a process known as latent heat flux, the clay absorbs and releases moisture in response to environmental changes, stabilizing the room’s temperature. Clay walls also tend to feel cooler during summer and warmer during winter.

The production of negatively charged particles of air — another unique property of earth plaster — helps neutralize the electromagnetic effect created by computers, appliances and synthetic plastics. Clay also eliminates static charge on walls, keeping them from attracting dust. This negative charge causes particulates in the air such as pollen and dander to clump together and fall to the floor, where they can be vacuumed.

Simple and beautiful — with time-tested, natural ingredients — today’s earth plaster is a practical, chemical-free alternative to acrylic, cement, gypsum, and lime plasters. It’s also a unique and beautiful addition to a great design.

Dawn Hintgen is owner of Common Ground Green Building Center in downtown Durham.
To learn more, call (919) 688-1500 or visit www.commongroundgreen.com.